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Ohhh Lulu pour chien?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

If you are familiar with pugs, or similar breeds, you'll know they kind of have a weird shape... They have these big wide chests and shoulders, necks that are wider than their heads, and a healthy pug should have a tapered waist. Oliver is a pretty fit boy, though he has gained a little weight this winter... Oliver has also always had a hair-less tummy, so he gets pretty cold pretty quickly in the winter!

My beautiful rendering of the shape of a pug

This year Oliver has discovered how much fun playing in the snow can be... it only took him 5 years to figure it out! His favourite thing to do is to push his toy into the snow then dig it back out again! Doesn't that sound fun?! Unlike the last few years, we have actually gotten a lot of snow this winter! We have carved out some little paths for Oliver in the backyard, otherwise he'd be swimming through it!

Dig, dig, dig...

So, I thought it was probably a good idea to finally get a coat. Oliver actually has a whole wardrobe full of coats that don't quite fit. If they fit his chest, they are way too long. If they are the right length, it won't fit around his chest. Some are too tight in the neck, others dig into his front legs...

Yesterday I decided I would try my hand at making him something functional. I wanted a coat with a waterproof belly for when he jumps in the snow (or when his chest drags in the snow!), something that would be easy to wipe down when it got dirty in slushy conditions, and something that would keep the little guy warm. I had an old simplicity pattern for a dog sweater that I used for the general shape, some red PVC left over from my goth days, cotton quilt batting, grey jersey, and grey flannel. I made the belly part out a layer of PVC so that it would be waterproof, then interlined it with cotton batting for warmth, and lined it with a layer of jersey. I added jersey strips to the sides so that it would stretch, and made the back portion out of two layers of flannel. I added elastic around the "waist", arms and neck so that it would pull in snug over my dogs rather voluptuous curves. Of course, I had to add a little applique and some quilting in my attempt to make it "pretty."

I am proud to say that this is the first coat that Oliver will happily wear!

So, it's maybe not the most stylish coat in the world, but it's functional! It keeps his bald belly warm and protected against the icy-snow.

Ahhhh! You've just described my two pugs to a T! We have the same problem with coats! I should bite the bullet and make them coats (instead of buying them hoodies and then rolling them up!)! And the water-resistant belly is PERFECT! You're a mad genius!

I am struggling with similar fit issues on my dogs. Both are corgi mixes, and they have the most unusual, non-standard body types. I'm going to look for that coat pattern. As of now, I've only attempted to knit sweaters for my pups. Sewing seems like a great way to go.

Oliver looks very handsome in his new coat. I hope you have a lot of fun in the snow!